Safety hitch



sept.' 27, 1927. 1,643,653

G. DEN BESTEN SAFETY HITCH Filed Feb. 2s. 192s 2 sheets-sheet l Sept. 27, 1927.

' G. DEN BES'TEN SAFETY HITCH Filed Feb. 23. 1926 Nieuw/( Patented Sept. 27, 1927.

VPATENT OFFICE GERBIT DEN BESTEN, 0F HOLLAND, MICHIGAN.

SAFETY HITCH.

Application filed February 23, 1926. SeriaI No. 89,944.

This invention relates to a Safety hitch primarily adapted for use in connecting a tractor or like draft machine with an implenient drawn thereby, suchas a.plow,-and the hitch is so constructed that when a predetermined strain greater than the normal pulling strain between the tractor and implement is encountered, an automatic discon- Y nection of the tractor from said implement occurs through the operation o the safety hitch of the invention, thus insuring against breakage or like undesirable happenings. The hitch which I have invented provides f for the automatic release of the tractor from ythe plow or other implement, drawn thereby in instances where an obstruction is encountered, putting a heavier strain than normal on the same, this heavier strain operating the hitch for the desired release.

The invention comprises many novel details of construction and arran ements and associations of parts for effectively accomplishing the ends stated, as well as many others not at this time particularly enumerated. In particular one feature of my invention resides in the economy of manufacture of the hitch, the parts thereof being very easily manufactured and requiring practically no machine work on the castings used to make the device so that the manuacturing cost is very low. For an understanding of the invention reference may be had to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which A Fig. 1 isa plan View of the hitch in its normal working position.

Fig. 2' is a horizontal section through the construction shown in Fig. 1, the upper side of the housin of the device being removed and the mec anism being in the position which it occupies when the tractor and implement are connected together. 4. k

FignB is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the hitch parts as they are when automatic disconnection is about to occur.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to views 2 and 3 showing the parts as they are at or about the time the disconnection takes place.

Fig. 5 isv a like view illustrating a slightly diierent form of construction, serving the same ends and equivalent' to the structures shown in the preceding figures, and

Fig. 6 is a vertical section substantially on the plane of line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures of the drawings.

In the construction of the hitch as illus trated, a housing castin -is provided having an upper horizontal si e or plate 1 which at one side is slightly raised as indicated at 1a. It also includes a lower side or plate 2 which, directly opposite the portion 1a is depressed as indicated at 2a. Said upper and lower plates 1 and 2 are integrally con'- nected at one edge by a web 3 as shown in which openings are made the web at its end being a substantially Figs. 2, 3 and'4 in at various places, thickened and formed into cylindrical post as indicated at 4, for a purpose which will later appear. Between opposite ends of the web 3 the housing is open as shown. In the upper and lower sides of the housing adjacent the post 4, angularly positioned recesses 5 are made of the form shown, and substantially opposite these recesses the casting is formed with projecting upper and lower ears 6 through which a bolt or pin-7 may pass through any one ofthe openings made in the part 8 which is the end of the tractor hitch lug, and in this man-- ner the housing may be connected to the tractor.

On the u per and lower sides of the raised and epressed portions l and 2a of the housing plates 1 and 2, upwardly and downwardly extending spaced apart ears 9 are cast. rod 10 is bent into U-shape so that the legs 11 thereof extend between the ears, the bend of the U coming against a side of the housing as best shown-in Fig, 6. Nuts 12 are lthreaded on to the ends of the legs 11 and strong coiled springs 13 are disposed between said nuts and the ears 9.

Inside the housing a member of channel shape is located being disposed between the parts l and 2 of said housing and having up er and lower flanges 14 connected bv a we 15 which, at one end is somew at thickened and enlarged, as at 15, to form a bearing through which the bend of the rod 10 passes member on the rod. A roller 16 is rotatably mounted between the flanges` 14 at the inner end of the member. A. pin 17 extends between the housing upper and lower plates to thereby pivotally mounting the which a spring 18 is connected at one end, the opposite end of the spring 'being connected to a post or pin 19 disposed between the upper and lower flanges 14. This construction is fully shown in Figs. 2,3 and 4 and the spring 18 under tension normally swings the member in a counter clockwise direction until the stop lips 14a on 'bhe flanges 14 come against the rod 17.

On the implement which is to be drawn" by the tractor, a clevis 20 is connected, the pin 21 of which, carried between its upper and lower arms, passes through a member 22 of somewhat irregular shape of the form shown in Figs. 2, 3 andv 4, it having a lug 23 projecting from one side and a recess 24 substantially in the opposite side shaped so that it ma 'tit over the post 4 previously described. n the upper and lower sides of the member 22 upwardly and downwardly extending bosses 25 are cast which are of` a shape to be freely received within recesses 5 in the upper and lower plates 1 and 2 of the housing. I

In Fig. 5 a somewhat dilerent form of the invention is shown, the member 22 being replaced by the member 26-which also has a lug 27 corresponding in shape to the lug 23 previously described. This member is pivotally mounted on a 4pin 28 which is disposed between upper and lower plates 1 and 2 of the housing and occupies the or tion, substantially, of the part 4, an in its side has a recess or slot 29 in which the clevis pin 21 may be received.

`With the parts engaged, as shown 1n Fig. 2, member 22 bearing against the post 4 has a tendency to rotate in a clockwlse direction. This brings the lug 23 against the roller 16. The ldirection of the force of pressure of lug 23 against this roller is d1- rect-ly outward toward the axis of the roller in as indicated in Fig. 2, and this accordlngly tends to turn the member 14 about the rod-10 in a counter clockwise direction until stopped by the lips 14 against pin 17. Under all normal strains of o eration the arts will remain todether anv there will e no disconnection o? the hitch. If a very severe or abrupt strain is encountered, the pressure imparted by the lug 23 against the roller 16 causes a com ression of the springs 13 and a longitudina movement of the U- shape rod 10 so that the member 22 may turn about the axis of the pin 21 and there will be a movement of the roller 16 along the side of the lug 23 whereby the parts will assume the position shown in Fig. 3, whereupon the force of pressure of the lug against the roller will VYturn the member carrying the roller 16 in a clockwise direction and member 22 will disconnect therefrom and the tractor and implement will be freed of each other with no liability of breakage of any part of either, which otherwise might occur. With the passage of the nose of lug 23 from the position shown in Fig- 3 to that shown in Fig. 4. or after the lines of force of the toggle indicated in Fig. 2, have passed by dead center, springs 13 return the U-shape rod to normal position and the rof tation of the member carrying roller 16 in a clockwise direction, will vbe accompanied by an elongation of spring 18 as shown in Fig. 4.

The construction shown in Fig. 5 operates on the same principle. the only difference being that, as member 26 is connected to the pin 28, said member does not disconnect from the housing but the clevis pin 21 disconnects rom the member 26 by reasonof the open slot at 29 permitting such disconnection. Otherwise the operation is identical with that described with reference to Figs. 2, 3 and 4.

The reconnection of the parts is easily accomplished, it being necessary merely to move the member 22 inwardly into the hous` ing and a secure connection of the parts will be made and one which will continue under all normal strains and which will break only with sudden or excess strains such as when a plow or the like strikes an obstruction in vthe ground. It is also apparent that, if it is desired, the disconnection of the tractor from the implement may be accomplished by manually operating.. the member which carries the roller 16 to the position shown in Fi 4. The strength'of the'spring 18 is lig t and needs to be' only enough to insure that said member will normally turn in a counter clockwise direction.

The constructions described are very simple, and are made easily from castings without the'necessity of machine work other than drilling or reaming a few holes so that the manufacturing cost is very low. It is durable and practical and has so proved in practical tests.

I claim:

1. An automatic hitch, comprising a support including upper and lower plates connected at one side and open at another side, each of said plates having a slot at the open side of the support, Va rod bent into U-shape around said support, spring means disposed. between the support and the ends of the rods yfor drawing the bend of said rod against a side of the support, a member pivotally mounted on said rod at the bend thereof and extending between the upper and lower plates, spring means tending to turn said member inone direction, a clevis having :1 clevis pin adapted to pass into the slot-s of said upper and lower plates, and means associated with the clevis pin engaging with said support and against said member, said means tending to rotate and bear with pressure against said member on the application of a pulling force to said clevis whereby the lon AGO

spring means on said U-shaped rod is overcome and the member moved outwardly when the force exceeds a predetermined amount, thereby effecting an automatic disconnection of the clevis.

2. An automatic hitch. comprising a support including upper and lower spaced apart plates connected at .one side and open at another side, said plates having slots at the open side of the support, a member located between said plates having upper and lower sides'and a connecting web at its outer portion, a roller mounted between said upper and lowersides of the member at the inner portion thereof, a U-shaped rod passed through the web at one end thereof. the legs of said rods passing above and below the support, nuts threaded on to the ends of the rod, heavy coiled compression spring disposed around each leg of the rod between said nuts and the plates, a spring'eonneeted to said member and to the support tending to turn said member in one direction, a clevis having a clevis pin adapted to enter the slots 1n said plates, and means associated Vwith said clevis pin and located between the upper and lower plates of the support when at operative position, having one end bearing against said roller and having an opposed port-ion mounted for pivotal move ment about a fixed part on said support, whereby, when a pulling .force is applied to the clevis, said second member is rotated to bear with orce'against the roller and on the application of a predetermined'force, moves said member outwardly by compressing the spring means .on said rod and thereafter turns the member against its spring means thereby effecting an automatic disconnection of the clevis.

3. An automatichitch comprising a support including upper and lower connected spaced apart plates having slots in vertical alignment opening to the outside at an open side of the support, a member located between said plates at one side ot' the slot', a U-shaped rod on the bend of which said member is pivotally mounted, said rod having legs passing one above and the other below said support, nuts on the free ends of said legs, heavy coiled springs located around said legs between the nuts and said upper and lower plates` a roller carried by said in emf ber at the inner portion thereof, relatively light spring means tending to turn said4 a clevis having a.

member 1n one direction,

clevis pin adapted to be received in the s ots in said upper and lower plates, a second member adapted to be connected against the roller and. at substantially it-s opposite side, being adapt-ed to have pivotal movement about and with respect to a fixed part of the support, whereby the application of an extreme pulling force to the clevis will turn said member about its axis and cause the lug Amember, yieldable means pivotall to bear against the roller with sufficient pressure to comp-ress the springs carrled by said U-shaped rod and move said member outwardly and automatically effect a disconnection of the clevis.

4. In a device of the class described, a support comprising upper and lower plates integrally connected at one side by a vertical web, said web at one end being formed into a substantially cylindricalo post and said plates/adjacent said post having upper and lower vertically aligned slots, a clevis having a. clevis pin to pass in said slots, a member pivotally mounted on the pin having a.recess in one side to engage against said post and having a lug projecting inwardly from its opposite side, said member passing between the upper and lower plates of the support, a' U-shaped rod bent around one side of the support and having one leg passing above and the other below said support` nuts threaded onto the free ends of said legs, heavy coiled springs disposed around said legs between the nuts and the support, a member pivotally mounted on the bend of said rod and extending into the space between the upper and lower plates of the support, said member at its inner portion carrying a roller bearing against the lug of` said first member. and a spring acting on said second member normally tending to turn the same so as to bring the roller against the lug of said first member.

5. An automatic hitch comprising a body, a strain member having a pivotal bearing upon said body, a retaining member having a pivotal bearing upon said body, said retaining member having a portion spaced from its bearing in engagement with the portion of the strain member spaced from its bearing, means for attaching a coupling member to the strain member and yieldable means to hold the retaining member in position to engage the strain member whereby strain upon thecoupling member sufficient to overcome a resistance of the yieldable member will pivot the retaining member to release the strain member.

An automatic hitch comprising a body, a strain member having a pivotal bearing upon said body, a retaining member having a pivotal bearing upon said body, a. portion of said retaining member spaced from its bearing engaging a portion of said strain member spaced from its bearing, means for attaching a coupling member to said strain connected to the retaining member'to old it in engagement with the strain member, the rst named pivotal bearing of the retaining member being releasable when the retaining member is pivoted on the yieldable means` whereby strain upon the coupling member sufficient to overcome the resistance of the yieldable member will pivot the retaining member, first on its pivotal bearing on the body and then on its pivotal connection with the yieldable member to release the strain member.

7. An automatic hitch comprisinfr a body, a strain member having a pivotal: bearing upon said body,` a retainin member having a pivotal bearing upon sai body, a portion of said retaining member spaced from its bearing engaging a portion of said strain member spaced from its bearing, means for attaching a coupling member to said strain member, yielclable means pivotall connected to the retaining member to ho d it in engagement with the strain member, the first named pivotal bearing of theretaining member being releasable when the retaining member is pivoted on the yieldabl'e means, a light spring tending to pivot the retaining member on the yieldable means to hold the first named pivotal bearing thereof vinto engagement, whereby strain upon the coupling member sufficient to overcome ithe resistance of the yieldable member will pivot the retaining member, rst on its pivotal` bearing on t nection with the yieldable member to release the strain member.

GERRIT DEN BESTEN.

e body and then on its pivotal con- 

